


What if...? Reunion at Tadfield Airbase

by Xxxpokelad



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, oh god i went so hard on the sadness in this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:48:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24235312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xxxpokelad/pseuds/Xxxpokelad
Summary: what would have happened if Aziraphale dodged the portal to Heaven, got to Crowley's flat but all he found was the puddle of  demon goo?
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 61





	What if...? Reunion at Tadfield Airbase

Aziraphale was disoriented. Bewildered. He was sure this was all a mix up. Surely, he didn’t just hear the Scribe of God tell him that the point of the war was to win it, not avoid it. The Metatron confirmed what Gabriel had said, and Aziraphale could not believe it. He did not want to fight in a war, he did not want to see all of the Earth burn. He wanted to save humanity. Lost, without any hope, he decided to turn to the one being he knows he can rely on: the demon Crowley. No matter how hard things got, Crowley had always been by his side. As he had always been to Crowley’s. ‘I’ll telephone him, explain why I withheld the location of the Antichrist, and together we will make everything all right again. We have to. There is no one else who can help, no one else I could or would trust with this. And with my life. No one else I save the world with.’ Aziraphale pondered. Now calm, the angel got to his old phone and dialed Crowley’s number.   
-“Hello Crowley? I know where the Antic-“  
-“This is Anthony Crowley, you know what to do. Do it with style.”  
-“Well, I know who you are idiot, I telephoned you. Listen. I know where the Anti-“  
-“Yeah, it’s not a good time. Got an old friend here.”  
-“But-“  
No buts. He hung up. ‘Doesn’t he realize the importance of the situation we are in? Doesn’t he know we need to stop the apocalypse? He must know what there is at stake. He was the one who made me realize the very idea of Armageddon is wrong!’ Aziraphale thought, irritated at Crowley’s behavior. There was no time to be annoyed, however. Not only because it would be a waste of time, but because someone entered Aziraphale’s shop and started yelling atrocities.   
-“You foul fiend! In league with the forces of darkness!”  
-“Sargent Shadwell?”  
-“You monster! Seducing women to do your evil will!”  
Monster? Evil will? Seducing women? Sargent Shadwell must have confused him for someone else. He was an Angel, so definitely not a monster and not acting on any evil will, and he had never seduced a human woman in his life. He just did not see the point of it. Aziraphale was becoming more and more confused as the night progressed. He wished he had Crowley to help him make sense of the situation.  
So he said, tilting his head to the right a little: “Oh, I think perhaps you got the wrong shop.” But there was no stopping Sargent Shadwell, that went on as if he was not interrupted: “You are possessed by a demon, and I will exorcise you with bell, book and candle!”  
‘What on Earth is going on tonight. First, I realize that no one in Heaven has any intention of stopping Armageddon, then Crowley hangs up on me, now this. A demon possessing me? Impossible. If Crowley tried to possess me, we would both get discorporated immediately. Besides, I really have no time for this.’   
Shadwell wandered across the room, playing a bell, collecting a book and then lighting a lighter. After all of this, evidently not satisfied, he started saying the most bizarre things. Aziraphale quickly stopped him, directing the Sargent to the door with verve.  
-“Sargent Shadwell, look, I have very important business to tend to. If you wouldn’t mind leaving me alone now, so I can get back to it, I would most appreciate it. Thank you very much for your consideration, have a good day.”   
After closing the door at a still talking Shadwell, Aziraphale collected his notes with the Antichrist’s name and address, and leaved the shop. What he couldn’t know, was that one of the candles accidentally lit one of the papers in the shop, starting a very large fire that consumed most of his books before being put out.   
Aziraphale, however, found out about the burning bookshop later. Right now he was travelling towards Crowley’s apartment. After getting out of the cab, he tried the doorbell but got no answer. ‘What on Earth. He was just here. Oh well, I’ll let myself in then. I’m sure he won’t mind.’ The door leading into Crowley’s flat was ajar. That was strange. Aziraphale stepped inside. The place was spotless, not even a crumb out of place. Aziraphale passed the somewhat familiar statue in the foyer, directed to the study. But something was wrong. He could smell burning. Not burned food though, because Aziraphale knew how burned food smelled better than anyone else. During his long life, he tried cooking various time, with very different results. No, this was something else. Organic maybe. Aziraphale saw the tartan flask open on Crowley’s desk, and a terrible thought crossed his mind. On the study’s threshold, there was a thick substance still fuming a little.   
-“Oh. Oh no. No no no. Please no. It can’t be. This isn’t- it can’t- this is not happening. I must be mistaken. This can’t be him. Not him. I- this is why I did not want him to have the holy water. I feared this might happen. I cannot believe it! My dear Crowley, why would you do this! How could you leave me!”  
Aziraphale wanted to scream, but his throat was so tight that no sound could come out. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry. His thoughts were tangled on one another, his mind was so clouded that he could not think of what to do next. Aziraphale just sat there, next to the burning goo, tears streaming down his face, without being able to move. In one word, he was heartbroken.  
-“Crowley dear, I- I hoped it would never had come to this. You doing this, leaving me here, stranded, alone. I should have never given you a suicide pill. All of this is my fault, if I never… you would still be here. May I be forgiven. It feels like I’m falling… even though I’m sitting here. Is this what you felt? When you fell?” All of the sudden, Aziraphale knew what he had to do. “I’m unforgivable now as well. I’m no longer the nice one. I’ve taken my first life. Now, I’ll go to take the second one. I should have listened to you, Crowley. Maybe if I had...”  
Aziraphale got up on his feet, ready to leave Crowley’s apartment, and walked to the door. Then he tuned his head, and said: “Oh, one more thing. You were the best friend I ever had, Crowley. I wish I said something sooner... I should have left with you when I had the chance. Goodbye, my dear friend.”   
Without another word, he left Crowley’s apartment building. He felt like he was falling apart. He found it strange, how the world seemed not so different even though everything had changed. And was still changing. He felt like he could not go on. But he had to. For him. Aziraphale knew he had to stop Armageddon once and for all, by any means necessary.   
Aziraphale also knew he needed new allies. And only one man came to mind. He went to the man’s apartment and rang the doorbell.   
-“Hello, Sargent Shadwell? I’m in need of your assistance. We need to get to Tadfield airbase.  
-“And why would we do that?”  
-“We need to stop someone before it is too late. I’ll explain on the way.”  
Sargent Shadwell hesitated a moment before saying: “ Yes but you see, I don’t own a car. And all of the Witchfinder Army cars are all taken I’m afraid.”  
-“Oh. This is terrible news, Sargent. What am I going to do now?” Aziraphale felt a new wave of sadness coming. He paused. ‘I cannon collapse now. I need to keep going.’ Then he went on: “Well, no matter. Let’s get a wiggle on, shall we? I’ll fill you in in the taxi.”  
-“I’ll come with you.” A read headed woman was standing at the far end of the corridor, with a determined look on her face. “I want to make sure Mr. S. is all right. He was so worried when he came home.” Before Aziraphale could say anything, she added: “I insist. I won’t bother you, but I want to make sure nothing happens to Mr. S.”  
Sargent Shadwell was too overwhelmed and confused to speak. Aziraphale, on the other hand: “Young lady, I must warn you that this is a very dangerous mission.”  
-“It is?!”  
-“Indeed, Sargent. Something might happen to you, and I could not bear to lose anyone else.” Aziraphale’s chest started hurting out of the blue. The pain left as it went. “Are you sure you want to come with us?”  
-“Deadly sure, yes. I don’t want to lose Mr. S.”  
Aziraphale understood that better than anyone else, after what he saw. Sargent Shadwell looked embarrassed by this exchange. Aziraphale could swear he saw Sargent Shadwell’s face turning a little red.   
-“All right. We have wasted too much time, however. Let’s go. Taxi!”  
Taxi drivers don’t usually drive so far out of the city. This particular one, though, will anyway, without really knowing why.   
Aziraphale told Sargent Shadwell and Madame Tracy everything he knew about Armageddon, the Antichrist and Tadfield.   
-“Why Tadfield Airbase? Why will the Apocalypse start there?” asked Madame Tracy. Aziraphale decided he really liked this woman.  
-“Not sure. That’s close to the Antichrist, so I believe that might be a good reason.”  
‘That was not the whole truth, so it wasn’t technically a lie.’ Aziraphale pondered. ‘A half-truth. Not that it matters anyway. I am not bound to be truthful anymore. No longer aligned with Heaven. Not with Hell either. I guess I am on Earth’s side now. On my own.’ His chest tightened. ‘I must not think about that now. I must focus on the matter at hand.’ Because it hurt too much. But Aziraphale did not fully realize that.   
After getting off the taxi at Tadfield Airbase, Aziraphale saw a burning car. A very familiar car.   
-“Is that… A Bentley?”  
-“Aziraphale?!”  
Aziraphale froze. That voice. He could recognize that voice anywhere. But it couldn’t be. He was gone.  
-“Aziraphale, is that you?” The voice called again.   
-“Crowley!” Aziraphale cried. “I… I thought I lost you!”  
They ran towards each other, stunned.   
-“I thought I lost you! What happened to you?” They whimpered at unison. They were both shaking with sobs of pure relief, entwined in a tight embrace., at the knowledge that the other is there, and solid, and okay.  
-“I went to the bookshop, but you weren’t there, and it was burning so hot I thought it was ignited by hellfire.”  
-”The bookshop burned down?”   
-“Yes, and I couldn’t find you. There was nothing but fire everywhere and I thought -I thought you were gone. That I lost you. And I couldn’t handle it so I ran out of there after grabbing one book at random. After the shock passed a little, I opened it and inside there were a lot of notes. Your notes. That led me here.”  
-“Oh, very clever. After I put down the phone -you were very rude by the way, but it doesn’t matter now- I went at your place and found demon remains.”  
-“Oh, that’s right, Ligur! That was Ligur. It can’t have looked good.” Crowley interrupted, still hugging Aziraphale firmly.  
-“It did not. I thought it was you. I just sat there. Unable to move or to process what happened. I believed you were gone. I should have listened to you, Crowley, you were right. We’re on our side now. I’m sorry it took me this long to realize it. I’m so sorry. I’m so glad you are here. I still can’t believe you’re here, with me. I thought I had to do it all alone. Stop Armageddon by myself.”  
-“I thought the same thing. I’m so glad you’re here too. I can’t let go of you, though, and I’m not sorry.”  
-“Let’s stay like this for a little longer. Feels good. We should have done this centuries ago.”  
Crowley laughed. “What, Angel? Scare each other to death?”  
Aziraphale started laughing too. “I missed hearing you laugh. And you know what I mean.”  
Crowley and Aziraphale stayed like that, on the floor, surrounded by confused humans, for another twenty minutes, before going into Tadfield Airbase and saving the world.


End file.
